Small Business Ethics Experiential Exercise Research Proposal

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I didn't want to get the students in trouble at the time, and as a teenager I felt that it was the teacher's responsibility to catch the offenders, not mine, and there was no honor code at my school that required me to report offenders spotted cheating. I did not want to incur the social costs of being a snitch, although I did feel upset and angry that the hard work I had done, studying for the test, was undercut by the students' behavior and their perfect scores, given that I knew that they had stolen the answer key.

DQ4: As an ordinary employee, probably not. I would probably first confront the offenders to let them know that their behavior had been identified, and hope that shame and fear would alter their behavior. I would not want to deprive these individuals of employment as a fellow employee, although I know that their unethical behavior has the long-term consequences of driving up prices and would sympathize with the owner on a personal level.

DQ5: I would have to fire him or her -- more so than simple stealing, Numbers 23 and 24 are immoral as well as unethical.
Application 1: I learned I am reluctant to report unethical behavior, despite my awareness of how one unethical action affects everyone, often in ways that are difficult to perceive. However, when individuals are directly being urged to do something that could cause them great harm, like to perpetuate a legal fraud as in 24, to sign something that can cause them long-term financial or personal damage as in 23, or are being financially or physically harmed when a company or agency has a person in a position of trust accepting bribes and looking the other way, then I will take a stand.

Application 2: Perhaps I need to be more aggressive in vocalizing the need for ethical behavior, to prevent unethical behavior from taking place in the first place. I see, even within my own framework of reference, how difficult it is to turn in a fellow employee, friend, or student.

Application 3: Setting a clear ethical standard to begin with, monitoring employees through surveillance, and having an 'honor code' may actually make life easier for honest employees, because it takes some of the responsibility for reporting unethical behavior out of their hands, and makes it a.....

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